Israel

On 26 March, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council, which concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Referring to the Genocide Convention, Ms Albanese explained that ‘Israel has committed three acts of genocide with the requisite intent [to destroy Palestinians as a group]:  causing seriously [sic] serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent birth [sic] within the group.’ Israel rejected the report, calling it ‘an obscene inversion of reality.’ Separately, on 28 March, in response to a further deterioration of living conditions in Gaza (it observed that ‘famine is setting in’), the UN’s International Court of Justice ordered Israel to implement new humanitarian measures, as part of a case in which it is considering whether the country has violated the Genocide Convention.

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Israel’s invasion of Gaza had, by the end of January, resulted in more than 27,000 deaths, including over 10,000 children. On 26 January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued six provisional measures requiring Israel to prevent the commission of the crime of genocide in Gaza. Despite the ICJ’s requirement that Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip and ensure humanitarian aid provision by 26 February, Israel's actions in Gaza persist.  The ICJ case, initiated by South Africa, accuses Israel of violating the Genocide Convention through its operations in Gaza. The ICJ's order underscores Israel's obligation to prevent acts that could potentially lead to genocide and to ensure no genocidal acts are committed by its military. This 15-2 vote by the Court emphasizes the obligation of Israel to prevent any genocidal acts by its troops. While this ruling does not require Israel to implement a cease-fire, it raises questions about what measures might be considered if Israel fails to comply.

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Amid rising regional conflict, the Israeli government postponed local elections under a state of emergency. Initially scheduled for 31 October, the pivotal local elections, set amidst ongoing judicial and democratic crises, have been pushed to 30 January  2024. A further delay until 27 February 2024 is possible upon Knesset's approval. Later in November, Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party, sought an additional postponement due to many of his party's candidates serving in military reserves, impairing their ability to campaign effectively.

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Following a Hamas offensive from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, which intentionally targeted civilians and resulted in over 1,200 deaths, about 5,400 injuries, and the abduction of 242 hostages. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant imposed a full siege on the Gaza Strip. As a result, the territory has been cut off from essential resources such as electricity, food, medicine, and water, raising fears of potential disease outbreaks and starvation among civilians. On 11 October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war, forming an emergency government with the opposition. Throughout the month, Israel responded with intensive air strikes, launching approximately 6,000 in the first six days and thousands more subsequently. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry, this had resulted in over 9,000 Palestinian deaths, including more than 3,900 children, as of 4 November.  The conflict has also led to significant displacement, with Israel ordering the evacuation of the northern and central Gaza Strip on October 13, impacting around 1.4 million people.

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